Improvement in fence-posts



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ATTORNEYS ,UNITED STATES PETER O. CORNELL, OF BINGHAMTON, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN FENCE-POSTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,338, dated November 20, 1877; application led March 27, 1875.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, PETER O. CORNELL, of Binghamton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Fence-Posts; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a representation of a side view of my fence, and Fig. 2 is an end View of the same.

This invention has relation to means for bracing or staying fence-posts; and it consists 1n the construction and novel arrangement of the wire brace or guy and its connections at the bottom and top of the fence-post, as hereinafter fully shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A designates a fence-post, to which are attached the rails B or the stringers of a panel.

At the lower end of the post is located the base or cross piece O, extending horizontally and laterally on each side of the fence. This base-piece may form a part of the post, or it may be secured thereto. It may rest on the ground, or be buried beneath the surface.

The top of the post is spanned by a cap, D, which is recessed centrally at a, to receive the thickness of the top of said post, and if the upper rail be iiush with said top, the thickness of that also. This cap has lateral extensions or wings a, which are perforated.

E represents the wire guy or brace. This is secured by one end to one of the wings a of the cap, being passed through the perforation therein, and fastened in a suitable manner. Then, the wire having been carried under the base-piece C from end to end thereof, the same being laid in notches c to prevent displace:

ment, its other end is detaehably secured to the other extension of the cap on the other side of the fence, the wire having been drawn as tense as may be required.

' Should ,the tension of the wire be impaired from stretching or from other causes, one of its ends may be loosened from the cross-piece, and while still engaged therewith be violently drawn down upon, causing the slack to be evenly taken up throughout the whole length of the wire. During the operation of tightening the wire the perforation in the end of the cross-piece will act as a pulley, thus greatly facilitating the taking up of the slack; and the said wire sliding freely in the groove on the under side of the base or shoe, this slack will be taken up evenly throughout its entire length.

The Goodrich patent, which has been disclaimed, shows awire passing through a perforation in the post, its ends being then passed around a shoe or base and united upon its under side. This construction requires that the post and base should be taken up in order to tighten the guys, while applieants wire may be tautened while the post is in position, a material saving in time and labor being thus obtained.

The Landis patent shows a wire crossed over the lapping ends of the upper rails of the fence, and having its ends secured to spikes driven into the ends of the base or shoe. It also shows a transverse metallic plate on the top rails of the fence, and a wire passing` under the said rails, thence upward through perforations in the end of the plate, downward to the said spikes, to which the ends of the wire are then secured. This construetion is open to the same objection as the -Groodrich patent, in that the base, when buried in the soil, must be dug up to tauten the wire; and to the additional objections that when above the ground the ends or heads of the spikes are apt to seriously injure animals treading thereon, and to be drawn by the contraction of the wire in cold weather, and to be broken off by animals or vehicles coming in contact with the same. Moreover, in tightening the wire, the operator must stoop in a cramped position, wherein he can get but little purchase, and the cross-piece, being merely laid upon the top rails, will oscillate or rock thereon, and require both sides of the wire to be tightened. In applicants case the crosspiece is notched upon its under side, and fits snugly over the end of the post and rail, and is thus incapable of rocking or displacement.

In this manner a cheap and serviceable non-vibrating;` cap-piece, and a 'guy-Wire se-l cured at one end to the cap-piece, extending downward to the base through the groove therein, thence upward to the -cap-piece, to which it is detachably secured, substantially as specified. l

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER O. CORNELL. Witnesses:

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